Nidal Chazi (Mofid) Karameh asks… “Why do I have so many sex offense charges?”

Mofid Karameh has a long history of alleged sexual assault. Most defendants in sex offense cases often receive a multiple-count indictment since each allegation of unlawful sexual contact can be considered a separate count. If Mofid, for example, were simply accused of touching a victim inappropriately on different occasions, he will receive an indictment with an additional count for each alleged occasion.

Mofid in this illustration could also receive consecutive sentencing for charges stemming from one incident, such as that he both initiated sexual contact with the victim (first charge), and videotaped it (second charge).

The biggest concern with a multiple-count indictment is whether it would result in consecutive (rather than concurrent) sentencing.

Consecutive sentencing means that the counts would run one after another. If Mofid had two convictions on Class B felonies, he would serve first the first eight to twelve years, and then afterward begin serving the second eight to twelve years. This would result in an effective sentence of sixteen to twenty-four years.

In Concurrent sentencing, if Mofid received two convictions on Class B felonies, he would serve both counts at the same time, for an effective sentence of eight to twelve years total.

If Mofid is charged with five counts of Rape of a child, and each count could result in fifteen to twenty-five years of prison (a Class A felony), it would certainly make one consider pleading to one or two counts, regardless of actual guilt or innocence. This is another reason that prosecutors like to pile on charges – so that a defendant thinks he must be lucky to get a settlement offer to plead to only one or two counts. They also like to charge multiple counts because it makes it more likely that the fifth statutory factor will occur. Additionally, multiple counts raise the stakes because a jury may convict on all or none of the counts, rarely understanding or considering the evidence only as it relates to each specific allegation. It is sometimes put this way, “Threaten people with death, and they’ll take sickness.

Nidal Karameh, (Mofid) has not been formally charged.
At this writing Karameh remains unindicted.
We will report any updates or changes in these situations.